The Key to Finding Freedom on the Guitar

The Secret to Finding Freedom on the Guitar Fingerboard

Apply your Scale Knowledge to Ice Skating

The CAGED system makes position playing a reality, by allowing you to play across the neck and back. Those patterns and positions really help you understand the fingerboard. If you can combine position playing with lengthwise playing you’ll have a total understanding of the fingerboard. Nothing can stop you becoming a master of the guitar.

To teach lengthwise playing, I use an exercise called Ice Skating, where you play a scale or solo up and down a specific string or strings.

OK, let’s learn to skate using the E blues scale. We start by playing the scale up one string. Begin on the 6th string and play the scale from the open E all the way up to the E on the 12th fret.

Just use your first finger for the exercise, and slide it up the neck. Just like ice skating, right? Except not as cold!

How to Practice Ice Skating

1. Using the E blues play-along, experiment improvising using the E blues scale, but only on the 6th string. Staying on one string forces you to get creative and think outside the shapes. Repeat improvising on the other strings, but stay on only one string at a time.
2. Now keep soloing over the same blues play-along, but now use two strings. Start with the 1st and 2nd strings. Then move onto the other combinations. 2nd and 3rd etc.
3. Now keep soloing and use two non-adjacent strings. Start with the 1st and 3rd strings and then try other combinations. 2nd and 4th etc.
4. Repeat all of the above in different keys.
5. Use the other play-along songs and repeat the exercise with different scales, major/minor/modes etc. Experiment in all keys to unlock lengthwise playing.
6. Combine CAGED (position playing) with ice-skating (lengthwise playing).

Rock on! If you’ve practiced up, you’ve got complete fingerboard knowledge. You’re on the way to becoming a master of the guitar. It’s an awesome achievement, so reward yourself!